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CHaN_316 writes "Wired Magazine is running an article about the "One Laptop Per Child" project entitled, 'High Security for $100 Laptop.' The laptop, officially called the XO [...] will premiere a security system that takes a radical approach to computer protection. Krstic's system, known as the BitFrost platform imposes limits on every program's powers. Every program runs in its own virtual machine with a limited set of permissions. Thus a picture viewer can't access the web, so even if a hacker comes up with an exploit that lets him control the program, he couldn't use it to grab all the photos on the laptop and upload them to the internet. Krstic contrasts this approach to Microsoft's Windows XP where every program, including Solitaire, has the right to access the web, turn on the video camera, open spreadsheets and send e-mail. Beyond cyber threats, the XO laptop will have an anti-theft system designed to render stolen laptops useless. Each XO is assigned a 'lease,' secured by cryptography, that allows it to operate for a limited period of time. The laptop connects to the internet daily and checks in with a country-specific server to see if it's been reported stolen. If not, the lease is extended another few weeks."